After more than a year with nothing released in theaters, the Marvel Cinematic Universe returned with the long-anticipated Black Widow. The movie felt a little out of place, as it had already been repeatedly delayed and didn't seem to fit in with the current crop of MCU television releases that had kept the franchise going during the pandemic.
The movie was both an origin story for Black Widow as well as an introduction to a new hero that joined the MCU in Yelena Belova. While the movie was a hit and the biggest release of 2021 at the time of its release, there were several moments in the movie that had fans scratching their heads.
The Red Scare
The movie opened in 1995 and showed a scene right out of the Cold War era in the United States. But, that was pretty baffling, as the Cold War and the fears of Communist Russia ended in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Even considering that the MCU is an alternate world to the real one, the entire idea of the law enforcement closing in and shooting to kill the Soviet agents and their two young children was terrifying. Add in the fact that there was no explanation on how the law enforcement officials found the secret airfield in the middle of nowhere, and the entire opening was exciting but made little sense.
The Massive Hunt For Natasha
The next thing fans saw was the massive manhunt for Black Widow being led by Thunderbolt Ross. The Secretary of State was hot on the trails of Natasha and had a legion of military personnel behind him. With all the villains and criminals on the loose, why did Ross have so much tied up in bringing in Black Widow?
There is a prequel comic Marvel released that explains how Ross convinced the United States to give him all the resources he needed to bring in the former Avenger. However, as far as the movie was concerned, why this was such an obsession for the actual U.S. government was unclear.
Red Guardian's Imprisonment
The first thing that Black Widow and Yelena Belova needed to do if they wanted to bring down the Red Room was to break Red Guardian out of a maximum-security prison. The reason he was there is unknown, and even Red Guardian admitted he wasn't sure why he was serving a life sentence, although mentioned two or three possibilities.
However, when it came time to break out, he broke metal doors off their hinges and tore through the barriers. Why was he there and why had he never tried to escape before?
Red Guardian Vs. Captain America
There were moments in Black Widow where Red Guardian talked about his past. In the prison, he talked about his confrontations with Captain America and how he won those battles. When another prisoner questioned his story, he broke the man's arm. He then later talked to Black Widow and Yelena Belova about Captain America.
Red Guardian said this all happened in a time frame where Captain America was still on ice. Was this a tall tale? There is a chance that Red Guardian did fight a Captain America. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showed the U.S. had more than one Captain America, and there is a chance he battled a Captain America — just not the Captain America.
Yelena Sending Antidote To Natasha
The movie saw Yelena Belova get the red powder antidote in her face and it helped her regain her free will. She then escaped with the rest of the vials and then had them sent to Black Widow. She admitted to Natasha that she sent them because Widow is the only superhero she knew, and she thought she could send them to someone to figure them out.
This made no sense. There was no note explaining what this material actually was. There was no message telling Natasha that the Red Room still existed and was still churning out powerful assassins. Black Widow had no way of knowing what they were and what she should do with them, and she wouldn't have known if she hadn't brought them back to Yelena, which isn't what she wanted to happen.
The Budapest Incident
MCU fans have been waiting to hear about what happened in Budapest for many years. Both Black Widow and Hawkeye used to talk about their time spent on their mission there, but the films never actually revealed why it was so memorable. Now, fans know.
Black Widow cemented her defection on the Budapest mission by helping Hawkeye assassinate Dreykov, the leader of the Red Room. She also caused the apparent murder of his daughter Antonia. The entire floor they were on blew up, but Dreykov came out without a scratch and his daughter was just scarred. How a little girl escaped this explosion with only scars is still unexplained.
Changes Made To Taskmaster
The reason that the MCU chose to change Taskmaster is understandable. Black Widow is a female-centric movie, with a female director and two strong female leads. While Dreykov was the villain, having another powerful villain who was a woman made sense, and Taskmaster filled that role.
What doesn't make sense is why it had to be Taskmaster specifically. The MCU clearly wanted to use a recognizable character as the villain, and Taskmaster is a comic fan favorite. However, the problem is that fans love Taskmaster from the comics and the MCU version is the villain in name and powers only.
What Is The Extent Of Thunderbolt Ross's Powers?
Thaddeus Ross is doing anything he can to bring in the superheroes. He tried to even bring them in when Thanos was attacking Earth, showing he cared more about his own personal vendetta than protecting the planet and his own country. With that said, the end saw the Red Room crashing to the ground and after the final fight.
Ross immediately showed up in a convoy of military vehicles to arrest Black Widow. This entire scene made no sense, including how they got there so fast and what authority Ross even has here, since most of the movie took place outside the United States.
Black Widow's Final Escape
The one thing in Black Widow that was completely baffling was Black Widow facing the oncoming Thaddeus Ross at the end. She stood there to accept her arrest, while she had a perfect escape in front of her with Yelena Belova and the Widows. Her decision to face Ross in that moment was really confusing.
However, what made even less sense was the next scene where Natasha showed up with a new hairdo and a jet to help Captain America break her friends out of prison. How did she escape? The movie never revealed how this final scene occurred.
Yelena Working As An Assassin
There was a post-credit scene that also made no sense. The scene saw Yelena Belova at Natasha's grave, mourning the loss of her sister. That is when Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine showed up. Just like she brought in U.S. Agent to join her organization in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, she has already been working with Yelena.
Yelena Belova finished Black Widow with a true redemption by helping Natasha bring down the Red Room. Yelena then set out to save the brainwashed Widows across the nation. It makes no sense that Belova would end the movie with a heroic purpose and then end up as an assassin for Valentina.